Week 56-58 - Replacing Gallery Floor

Now our cantilevered scaffolding platform over the river is no longer attached to it, it is time to rip up and replace the whole middle floor of the building. I must admit I had hoped this may be something that wouldn’t actually need doing and we could stick with what was there, but it’s become increasing obvious that it is not really up to the job and we wont get another opportunity to do it. 

Also, what if, in a few years time I decide to commission a replica, life-sized Greek marble statue of myself to position right in the middle of the gallery? The old floor is just not strong enough to take that kind weight and I am not prepared to have that ego maniac option taken away from me! You know?!?

So anyway, yes, the floor is being replaced…  

As we would then have no way of actually moving the joist around to where we wanted them easily or anywhere to put all the stuff that is already stored on this level of the building, I decided to take the floor up in a few staged areas.

Above: Middle section of the main gallery floor

Below: Front road facing section of galley floor

As you can see below the new floor joists are a fair chunk bigger than the old. We have also added a lot of lapped noggins in the opposite direction to the joists. Once the floor boards are on top and the plasterboard on the underside it will create a ‘torsion box’ effect over the floor. This basically means the timbers are all interlinked so load is distributed over the whole floor not just directly beneath a heavy item. I.e. the weight of my statue will be spread evenly over the space! 

 As shown in the last post about tanking, we built two new internal blockwork walls down each side of the workshop below. As we have raised the height of the floor by about 150mm to maintain the same head height below after the new slab pour, and used bigger timbers, the old joist pockets in the walls are no longer at the right height for our floor. So our new internal walls below are now designed to carry the floor at each edge.

Equally all the old pockets in the main floor beams the joist sit on top of, are no longer any good to me. Not to mention these very large, old timbers have only vague memories of what it was to be straight, level or true in their youth. So they have been sandwiched both sides and bolted though with new timber to the new level floor height.

Sophie merrily bolting the joist together where they meet on top of each beam



Joists and noggins going in at each of the side bays of the floor

Finished floor

The 4 small drop outs in the floor at various positions are for plug and networking points to be fitted. When the final floor covering is fitted these will become seamless apart from a small 'finger-pull hole and cable exit

Week 54-55 - Tanking

Tanking? Yea I think it’s a weird name too! It is basically waterproofing the wall (and/or slab) of a building to make it water tight against ground or flood water. In the same way as a fish tank or petrol tank is, so you can kind of see where the name comes from. But those things are designed specifically to keep water in, whereas we’re trying to keep it out – so really it should be called inverse tanking (no?). Anyway, stupid name, let’s move on…

In simple terms all we are really doing is spraying, rendering, painting, spraying again, painting again etc etc the downstairs walls of the building with a vast array of expensive chemicals, pastes, renders, emulsifiers and anti-sulphates. Most of which I only have a very vague understanding of how or why they make it water proof, but I am assured they do. If you are interested there are lots of websites that explain very well, I’ll leave you to educate yourself in your own time – its as dull as you’d imagine.

First I had to build new inner block work skins the the two side walls of the building. This is because the tanking needs a smooth even surface with no cracks to adhere to. The old stone walls are none of these things and have cracks and gaps a whole families of borrowers could live in. I admit I am far to proud of these two walls for what they are! But I had never done any block or brick laying before this project and always wanted to. I have definitely seen a good improvement in my skills since the first blocks I laid at the beginning of the build. 

Above you can see the first coat of the K11 slurry going on to the right hand side and prepared area for coating with all other chemicals applied to the left.

Finished river wall now waterproof up to just above window level

The middles stone wall of the building was rendered first before coating rather than blocks as the sides. As it is internal and only needs to withstand water pushing up from below not direct attack.

And finally the concrete floor around the main entrance, the only part of the old floor that was not covered by the new waterproof concrete floor was also tanked.

Week 53 - Velux Roof Windows

We negotiated ourselves a dry week with the powers that be, so we took advantage, cut some holes in the roof and put in some roof windows.

We are putting in 3 Velux windows into the roof above the residential area of the building. Two above either side of the bed in the main bedroom. These two will eventually have remote controlled blinds on them so you can set them to open up in the morning to wake you up – which I must admit I’m rather looking forward too.

The third is in the 2^nd bedroom/TV room above the mezzanine area. This one actually has the top pivot option. So as well as opening and swinging from the middle of its length like most Velux windows do, it will also hinge from the top edge so you can stand underneath it and look out in the rain etc. You know – pretend you’re in some romcom film.

View from outside once reveals have been cut out. I must admit this would of been a much easier job if it had been done at the same time as the roof was being done in the first place. Unfortunately we just didn't have the money to actually buy the windows at the time.

The frames and flashing kits fitted to the bedroom pair. The velux products and flashing kits are really very good, and once you have them in your hand and actually doing the job, straight forward enough. I have to say tho, the instructions are absolutely terrible.
I do understand that they sell these things worldwide and therefore dont ideally want to print the instructions in multiple languages, but the endless 'happy and sad' faces and word art ticks and crosses that these purely image based instructions go through to explain something that would take 5 words did drive me to the point of insanity. Maybe just go for the big 3 languages guys?